


Defeated

by wyvern



Series: Summer Pornathon 2013 - Main Challenges [3]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, Alternate Universe - Military, Angst, Barebacking, Character Death, Disregard of Army Protocol, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Imminent Major Character Death, M/M, Military Violence, Non-Graphic Violence, Porn With Plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-20
Updated: 2013-07-20
Packaged: 2017-12-20 20:24:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/891468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wyvern/pseuds/wyvern
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a war that was almost impossible to win from the beginning, the British are now pushed back into defending their last resisting city. Merlin and Arthur accidentally survive an enemy attack, and this is what happens.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Defeated

**Author's Note:**

> Summer Pornathon challenge 3: Fuck or Die. Please **READ THE WARNINGS** before deciding whether or not you want to read this. Challenge rules can be found [here](http://summerpornathon.livejournal.com/91415.html).
> 
> I've changed the entry slightly before publishing it here (but it's not by much, just added a few sentences and corrected some grammar errors). It's been neither beta'd nor britpicked, so feel free to tell me when grammar and/or spelling (or anything else) is off!
> 
> Merlin belongs so Shine, BBC, history and whatever else. I don't make any money off this.
> 
> Comments are love, you know? So please tell me what you think!

\--------------------

Arthur is slumped against the wall of their half-destroyed shelter. His lieutenant jacket is thrown on the ground beside him. Dirty and bleeding from small scratches on his arms and face, he’s staring straight ahead, eyes empty of emotion.

Without Arthur, Merlin would be lying dead on that battlefield along with the rest of their platoon. His lifeless body would be drenched in ash and mud, his soul free to... do whatever it is souls do when they are freed from their bodies.

If Merlin had been sleeping in his tent, like a good soldier – like Gwaine, Leon, Percy, Will – he would have been killed either by the bomb itself, or by the violent fires following it.

Without Merlin, Arthur would be dead, too. Arthur would have run into the chaos to try and help, would have fought until his dying breath, if it hadn’t been for Merlin. Therein lies the difference between them: Arthur is noble and fights not for himself – he fights for the cause and for his men.

Merlin mostly fights to survive. (And a little bit for Arthur.)

The only two left of a 1,000 man battalion, _they_ were the ones that had survived. The only two left to keep fighting a war that can no longer be won. It’s too late. The promised Asian reinforcements didn't arrive on time. Cardiff, who fought so valiantly against the threat and became the last-standing city in the entire United Kingdom, is lost.

They’re lost too, and Merlin knows it. They have no chance of getting out of the country, over the border into an allied nation without being caught. Today, they have lost their entire world, and they are lost to it.

Within hours, they will be apprehended by enemy forces and brought before a staged court-martial... and then they’ll be executed. Merlin’s strangely calm in face of his impending death; he’s done his best in this farce of a war. It’s time to stop fighting.

Merlin moves closer to his platoon leader. He crouches down in front of him, puts his hands on Arthur’s knees, shakes them gently to wake him from the nightmare he undoubtedly is reliving over and over in his head.

“Arthur,” he says softly, leaning into Arthur’s space.

There’s no reaction at first, but then there’s a shaky breath escaping Arthur’s chapped lips.

“Merlin,” he whispers, grabbing the front of Merlin's army shirt, pulling him even closer. “Merlin, I don’t know what to do anymore.”

“We’ll wait for death or the enemy to claim us, Arthur. There's nothing else.”

“If we hadn't sneaked away--”

“We would have died with our squad. The general outcome would have been the same. This way, we have a little more time.”

For a couple of seconds, Arthur closes his eyes and lets out another shaky breath. When he opens his eyes again, they’re shiny with tears. It’s disconcerting, watching Arthur fall apart. They've been close, felt each other’s skin, even been inside each other... but there has been nothing like this. This is too intimate. At a loss for what to do or say, Merlin presses his lips to Arthur’s. They’re salty and taste of mud and smoke. Desperately, Arthur clings to him, kisses him back, bites and sucks on Merlin’s lower lip like it’s all that matters.

Maybe it is.

Merlin grabs Arthur’s hair, gently pulls him away and tells him to pull down his trousers and pants. Taking the lube still in his pocket from earlier and dribbling a generous amount on Arthur’s cock, Merlin then takes him in hand and strokes him. Even though it’s not really enough friction, Arthur hardens quickly and he drags Merlin closer and kisses him again and again. After a few moments, Merlin lets go of his grip in favour of dropping his own trousers and pants and straddling Arthur’s hips. Relaxed from earlier, it’s easy to slide onto the hard cock. Merlin smiles at the beautiful sound Arthur makes deep in his throat before gasping out a short “Merlin”.

The grip on Merlin’s hips tighten when he sets a rhythm, and their harsh panting fills the small, dirty space. When Arthur’s hips snap up to meet Merlin’s downward motion, it’s not long before he comes. Merlin works him through it as he strokes himself to completion, too.

With the last kiss, Merlin tries to put every single one of his feelings into it. He’s not completely sure he manages the feat, but when they separate, Arthur’s smile is soft and his eyes no longer empty.

And that is when the soldiers burst in.

\--------------------


End file.
